Until the start of the 20th century, Jambi Province in Sumatra (Indonesia) was largely covered by natural forests. It had experienced little economic development, and had a poorly developed infrastructure. Rivers were the main medium of transportation. Most people practiced shifting cultivation and the gathering of forest products, including timber and
some latex. However, latex, or ‘getah’, gained importance towards the turn of the century, when demand from industrialized countries for natural rubber increased and created a ‘rubber boom’. The high price of rubber attracted the attention of farmers and colonial (Dutch) officials, and they began to cultivate latex-producing trees.